| Athletics at the VIII Pan American Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates | 7–14 July |
| Host city | San Juan, Puerto Rico  |
| Venue | Estadio Sixto Escobar |
| Events | 39 |
| Participation | 380 athletes from 30 nations |
Athletics competitions at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan were held from July 7 to 14 [1] at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. [2]
| Key | |
|---|---|
| GR | Pan American Games record |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 25 | 16 | 11 | 52 |
| 2 |  Cuba | 6 | 10 | 9 | 25 |
| 3 |  Canada | 3 | 3 | 12 | 18 |
| 4 |  Mexico | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 5 |  Brazil | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 6 |  Jamaica | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 |  Guyana | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 |  Argentina | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Bahamas | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Colombia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 |  Virgin Islands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (11 entries) | 39 | 39 | 39 | 117 | |
Antigua and Barbuda (7) Argentina (14) Bahamas (3)
Barbados (5)
Bermuda (6)
Bolivia (1) Brazil (26) Canada (50)
Chile (13) Colombia (6)
Costa Rica (5) Cuba (50)
Dominican Republic (11)
Ecuador (2)
Guatemala (1) Guyana (3)
Honduras (8) Jamaica (17) Mexico (15)
Panama (2)
Paraguay (1)
Peru (1)
Puerto Rico (41)
El Salvador (3)
Suriname (1)
Trinidad and Tobago (9) United States (68) Virgin Islands (8)
Uruguay (2)
Venezuela (1)Archery competitions at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan were held from July 2 to 6 at the Archery Range in the University of Puerto Rico. Archery was included for the first time at the Pan American Games.
Baseball competitions at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, were held on July 2–12. The venues for the competition were the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, the Guaynabo Municipal Stadium and the Parque Yldefonso Solá Morales.
The men's 100 metres sprint competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 7 and 8 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Silvio Leonard of Cuba.
The men's 5000 metres sprint competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 11 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Domingo Tibaduiza of Colombia.
The men's 3000 metres steeplechase competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Mike Manley of the United States.
The men's 4 × 100 metres relay competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was the United States team.
The men's 4 × 400 metres relay competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 13 and 14 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was the United States team.
The men's 20 kilometres walk competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Daniel Bautista of Mexico.
The men's 50 kilometres walk competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place at the Estadio Sixto Escobar.
The men's high jump competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 11 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Tom Woods of the United States.
The men's long jump competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 7 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was João Carlos de Oliveira of Brazil.
The men's triple jump competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 9 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was João Carlos de Oliveira of Brazil.
The men's discus throw competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was John Powell of the United States.
The men's hammer throw competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Larry Hart of the United States.
The men's javelin throw competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Sam Colson of the United States.
The women's 1500 metres sprint competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 13 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Jan Merrill of the United States.
The women's 4 × 100 metres relay competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 14 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was the United States team.
The women's high jump competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 13 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Joni Huntley of the United States.
The women's long jump competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 8 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Ana Alexander of Cuba.
The women's discus throw competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games took place on 7 July at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Carmen Romero of Cuba.
